In August and September 2004 I went on my first cycling tour. I cycled down the east coast of Australia from Cairns to Bateman's Bay. I covered a distance of almost 5,000 kilometres in two months. The following words are taken directly from the blog that I kept while I was on the road. Details of the daily mileage and route can be found on the tour log.
I flew up to Cairns from Melbourne last Thursday. It was a case of escaping the worst of a Melbourne winter for the best tropical north Queensland weather.
I spent a few days in Cairns staying with my friend Ian. I used to work with Ian many years ago when we were both based at Dominion Mining in Meekatharra, WA. Ian has since gone on to study medicine and is now a doctor at the Cairns Hospital. Ian is also no stranger to adventures by bike. He rode his motorbike from Perth to Cairns via Uluru at the start of the year. I also caught up with Karen, a friend that I went to high school with in Cairns.
Cairns to Tully
Anyway I loaded up my bike on Tuesday and started heading south on Highway One. I clocked up an amazing 124 kms on the first day which was a bit more than I planned. I got to Innisfail where I stayed the night. Next day I headed to Tully via Mission Beach. I spent today in Tully and rode up to the Tully Gorge. Riding without all my camping gear was a bit easier than being fully loaded.
The road so far has been dominated by cane fields and banana plantations. Detours to visit some nice waterfalls and the beautiful coastline at Mission Beach have been a nice change of scenery.
I am looking forward to more riding now. My legs are fine and the only problem so far has been sunburn.
Tully to Airlie Beach
I've ridden all the way from Tully to Airlie Beach since my last post. I've been averaging more than 100 kilometres per day which is a lot more than expected. However, now I'm in Airlie Beach I'm taking a much needed rest day!
Some of the highlights of the last few days have been the magnificent views of Hinchinbrook Island from around Cardwell and the Jourama Falls, just south of Ingham. One of the frustrating things about the ride is that although you are heading along the coast the main highway is usually a bit inland. Coastal views are a rare commodity unlike sugar cane fields which are definitely not! The great view of Hinchinbrook Island from the top of the range before Ingham and another great ocean view heading out of Bowen have made up for the lack of views in some respect. And now I'm in Airlie Beach where the ocean is a magnificent blue and the views are just stunning.
Also as I've headed as south from Tully the land has become a lot drier. Tully is the wettest place in Australia but south of Townsville the country is really very dry and only supports low scrub. It is quite a contrast to go from the wettest tropical rainforest to dry pastoral country in just a few hundred kilometres.
My bike has performed almost perfectly so far. The only problem has been two punctures. Both were caused by a tiny thorn going through the tire and making an even tinier hole in the tube. I have all the necessary equipment to do repairs on the road and have had the tubes patched up in next to no time.
Airlie Beach to Rockhampton
I have travelled quite a few miles since my last post and seen some beautiful places. One of the highlights has been a trip around the Whitsunday Islands. I didn't do it on my bike though! I went on a boat called the Whitehaven Xpress. It was a great day and we visited Whitehaven Beach, a seven kilometre strip of pure white sand that is one of the most beautiful world. The ocean there is many beutiful shades of blue and so clear. We also went snorkelling and it was amazing to see the huge numbers of fish of all different colours, shapes and sizes. After my rest day on the beach I hit the road again. Just south of Proserpine I had a meeting with another touring cyclist. He was an Aussie guy heading north and currently doing his second lap of Australia. He was well loaded up and towing a trailer. We swapped notes on the roads ahead before heading off in opposite directions.
I made various detours of the highway to points of interest along the coast. There are plenty of beautiful little spots with views of the ocean and islands. The highlight was Cape Hillsborough National Park. It is only a small park but contains stunning scenery and a wonderful diversity of ecosystems in a small area. You can see everything from mangroves and sub-tropical rainforest to open eucalypt woodlands and hoop pine dotted hillsides.
Another great spot I visited was the Finch Hatton Gorge. It is not far away from the well known Eungella National Park. It is a quiet spot at the end of the road with beautiful unpolluted mountain streams flowing through it. The small shop there sells the most delicious home made ice cream. It tastes like ice cream should taste. It is meant to be a good place to see platypus, but even though a very patiently watched a pool likely to be home to these curious creatures I wasn't lucky enough to see one.
Many people had warned me that the stretch between Mackay and Rockhampton would long, dry and lonely. While there certainly weren't many towns along the way and you couldn't get drinking water in a few places it was not as bad as I expected. In fact I found the pastoral country a pleasant change to the endless cane fields further north. I was prepared for the potential difficulty finding water and carried a bit extra with me. I did have a bit of a problem with the trucks and caravans on this route though and was blown off the road a few times.
Rockhampton to Bundaberg
Just south of Rockhampton I came across a woman walking down the road. I talked to her and was amazed to find out that she was walking around Australia. She had left Melbourne last October and expected to arrive in Melbourne on 9th October this year. Have a look at her website if you want to know more: Walk Around Australia.
The most interesting place I visited in the last few days was 1770. A stunning spot on an inlet, it is the spot where Captain Cook landed way back in 1770 (hence the name of the town). While its natural beauty is great it also seems to be a target for development and it seems that it won't be long before they "pave paradise and put up a parking lot."
I have met a total of three bicycle tourists over the last two days on the road between 1770 and Bundaberg. Robin from Holland, Rob from Australia and Yudai from Japan were all heading north (the opposite direction to me). It was great to stop and chat with them and share our experiences.
Bundaberg to Ipswich
I've covered a lot of ground since my last post and it has been some of the best cycling and scenery of the trip. I have also encountered the first major hills of the ride. Although some of them have been tough to ride up that is more than made up for by the great views and long easy downhill sections!
Coming south from Bundaberg I travelled along the Cooloola Coast. This is the coast line that includes Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. I didn't go across to Fraser Island but I did go to Rainbow Beach and Inskip Point which are near the southern tip of the island.
I spent a night camping near the beach at Inskip Point. Getting into the campsite via a sandy track was the only time I have ever had to get off the bike and push! It was well worth it though to have a chance to camp in a beautiful spot next to an amazing beach.
After Rainbow Beach I headed inland and I don't expect to see the coast again for a while. From Gympie I headed south down the Mary River Valley. This area was another highlight with beautiful hills, mixed farming and forests.
At the end of the valley I came to a place that I had wanted to visit for some time, Crystal Waters. Nestled in the hills near Conondale, Crystal Waters is an award winning ecovillage designed using permaculture principles. I stayed there for a couple of days and it was a great change of pace from life on the road.
I had the chance to spend some time with Max Lindegger discussing the Permaculture course that we will teach together in India at the end of the year. There was a group of students from Chuo University in Japan studying there and they were friendly and great to talk to.
On the day I left Crystal Waters I encountered my first rain of the trip. I wasn't well prepared for it and got a bit wet. Thankfully it cleared up the next day and I am enjoying clear blue skies again.
I took a route by which I could bypass the city of Brisbane. It took me through some roads with little traffic but some big mountains. Yesterday I climbed Mt Mee and enjoyed some magnificent views of the Sunshine Coast from the top. Today I conquered the longest and most difficult climb so far -- six kilometres up Mt Glorious with grades of up to 15%! It was the first time on the trip that I had had to use the lowest gear on my bike.
I've now made it to Ipswich where I bought a new tire. I have had a few punctures so far and hopefully a better tire will help stop any more. Apart from the punctures though I haven't had a single mechanical problem.
Ipswich to Byron Bay
I have now crossed the border from Queensland into New South Wales and seen some absolutely amazing country on the way.
The Lions Road crosses the Border Ranges and was my chosen route into NSW. It is an amazing road and contained the steepest climb I have yet encountered. It was worth the effort. Once into NSW I entered the Border Ranges National Park. There is whole group of national parks in this area that are World Heritage listed as outstanding examples of sub-tropical rainforest.
Once over the border I soon came to Nimbin, the hippy capital of Australia. I didn't hang around in the town for long; it was the surrounding forests and mountains that captured my attention.
I went to camp for a night at Terania Creek. The forest in the picnic around Protestor's Falls is truly amazing and I was lucky to be able to spend the night camping there alone. The only sounds to be heard were the sounds of the forest.
Terania Creek occupies a special place in the history of the green movement not just in Australia but the world. The protests there in 1979 were the first time nonviolent direct action was used to protect a forest from logging. The forest is now part of the Nightcap National Park.
On the way from Lismore to Byron Bay today I stopped at a coffee plantation in Clunes. This area is one of the few places in Australia where coffee can be grown. I enjoyed a cup of organic coffee on the farm where it was grown.
Now I am in Byron Bay the eastern most point on the Australian continent. It also has one of Australia's best beaches and attracts many tourists. It is not hard to see why. The combination of great beaches with beautiful mountains and rainforest nearby make for a perfect attraction.
Byron Bay to Bellingen
After Leaving Byron Bay rather than heading south I headed northwest to the peak of Mt Warning (Wollumbin). Mt Warning is what remains of the core of an ancient volcano and its pointy peak stands out above all the others in the area. I got up at 3:30 am to make the climb to the summit and hopefully see the sun rise. When I got to the top it was engulfed in cloud. It was really wild up there. It was amazing to see how a mountain has the power to create its own weather. When I came down again the weather was calm just a few hundred metres below the summit.
Next I headed onto Nimbin and then Lismore. In Lismore I stayed with John Seed, Deep Ecologist and director of the Rainforest Information Centre. While I was staying there we went out to visit Diversity Farm. We had a tour of the permaculture property and then in the evening there was a talk by Chief Datu from The Philippines. Chief Datu is a tribal leader from northern Mindanao and he spoke about his efforts to stop logging in his homeland and to rebuild the communities after they have suffered the effects of logging.
Leaving Lismore I headed south and tried to keep off the Pacific Highway as much as possible. I had a nice ride along the banks of the Clarence River heading into Grafton and also the novelty of taking a ferry across the river at Lawrence. South of Grafton I rode down the Orara Valley to Coramba.
Just out of Coramba heading to Dorrigo I encountered the longest climb of my tour. It was 11 kilometres of non-stop climbing. Thankfully the gradient was gentle making it easy cycling. I then had a beautiful ride across the tablelands to Dorrigo. There was some amazing rainforest in the Dorrigo National Park. The altitude there also makes it pretty cold and as a result I headed down to Bellingen for the night. I stayed at the YHA there which is definitely one of the best I have ever stayed at.
From Bellingen I went up to the Promised Land, a beautiful valley in the foothills of the mountains. I then had a nice ride through the forest out to the Pacific Highway. Getting back on the highway after riding through the beautiful forest was like going from tranquility to insanity. I rode down to Nambucca Heads. In Nambucca Heads I met Dave who invited me to stay at his house. He was a very generous bloke and a great host. He told me he had a friend at Bundagen, an intentional community on the edge of the Bongil Bongil National Park. So yesterday I rode up there even if it did mean heading north. I spent the night there. It looked like an interesting place with lots of alternative style buildings in a secluded location.
I am now back in Bellingen and intend heading south from here. I hope to get to Sydney soon. My front rack broke near Nimbin and I managed to get it welded in Lismore. It broke again near Bellingen so I will try to buy a new one when I get to the next bike shop. I had been warned that the front rack was sure to break.
Bellingen to Sydney
After seven weeks of cycling covering over 4,500 kilometres I have made it to Sydney. Arriving in Sydney and crossing the Harbour Bridge gave me a real sense of accomplishment as I realised how far I had actually travelled on my tour. The ride from Bellingen to Sydney has also included a number of highlights so read on.
Leaving Bellingen I had another great ride on a gravel road through the forest to the little town of Bowraville. In Bowraville I stopped at a great little shop called "The Little Banana". It sold organic fruit and vegetables and other health food. The owner there was very friendly and he suggested that I ride to Taylors Arm and camp there for a night. Taylors Arm is only a small town made famoous by The Pub With No Beer made legendary by the Slim Dusty song of the same name. For those of you who are curious the pub does in fact serve beer.
Next I headed back to the coast at Crescent Head. I then had another ferry crossing to arrive in Port Macquarie. I then road down the coast for a while before heading inland. I was looking for a spot to camp in Kendall when I met Lancelot who was out walking his dog. He invited me to come and stay at his house for the night. Lancelot had just been travelling around Australia so he knew that a fellow traveller like myself would greatly appreciate a comfortable bed for the night.
From Kendall I had a great days ride up to Comboyne and the Ellenborough Falls. Comboyne is on a plateau at 700 metres altitude much like Dorrigo. It is also surrounded by a mix of dairy farms and forest. The Ellenborough Falls are spectacular even though the dry conditions meant there was less water going over them than usual. The falls are one of the highest single drop waterfalls in the Southern Hemisphere with a drop of around 200 metres. Another interesting thing about the falls is that they flow into the side of the gorge rather than the top.
Next I rode through Forster and the Great Lakes region. There was a YHA marked on a map in the middle of the forest in a place called Girvan. I rode there like mad thinking of the hot shower that awaited me. When I got there I discovered a tiny little wooden hut in the middle of the bush that was all locked up. There was not a soul around. I wasn't disappointed however as it was one of the best camping spots that I have found.
Heading south from Girvan it wasn't long before I hit the Pacific Highway. I had so far managed to avoid it for most of my ride. As I entered the highway there was a sign that said "Sydney 183 kms". While it had for so long seemed very distant it didn't seem so far away now. I rode down to Raymond Terrace and then had to negotiate a few roundabouts, traffic lights and bridges to get on the freeway. While there was a lot of traffic on the freeway it was actually quite good to ride on with a wide, smooth shoulder. Even though I was getting close to Sydney the freeway was still lined by bush and I managed ot find a secluded spot to camp. The next day I rode to Gosford ready for the final ride into Sydney.
The ride into Sydney from Gosford was yet another highlight. I took the old Pacific Highway which winds through some of the most gorgeous bush and down across the Hakesbury River. Finally I managed to safely negotiate Sydney's traffic and get across the Harbour Bridge into the city. I took my bike to the Clarence Street Cyclery where I got a new rack fitted. I must recommend this bike shop for the extremely helpful and efficient service that they offered.
I stayed the night in Sydney with an old friend, Jock. We were next door neighbours when we were kids and went to primary school together. It was great to catch up again and talk about all the things we had done over the past years. We have both led pretty interesting lives.
Sydney to Bateman's Bay
I pedalled out of Sydney early on Saturday morning. I made good time to get to Woollongong for lunch. I then spent the afternoon visiting Nan Tien Temple. It is the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere.
The next day I rode to Jervis Bay which was a beautiful spot to camp for the night. I had a long ride the day after that to Bateman's Bay. When I got there it was raining and it looked like the weather was making a turn for the worse. I decided, after cycling almost 5,000 kilometres in eight weeks, to call it a day and end my tour there. The next day I caught a bus back to Melbourne.
On reflection the trip had been a great experience. It was a wonderful initiation into the world of bicycle touring and a great way to discover some places in Australia that I have never visited before. In the short term I hope to do some bicycle touring closer to home. The Great Ocean Road, the Grampians and Tasmania are some enticing destinations not very far away. I also have dreams about longer rides in Australia and overseas. We will have to wait and see what happens.